Suzuka no Izumi, underground dam, Zama City
Article

14216 ／ ざまし

Kanagawa Prefecture

Zama City

There is a “dam” under the ground.

Suzuka no Izumi, underground dam

Photo by Thirteen-fri (CC BY-SA 4.0)

01 ／ Kite

What is written on the giant kitestands for the sun and the earth.

Kite in Zama City
Photo by Doyal Dunn, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Public domain)

Zama’s giant kite is a 13 m square character kite, with two characters meaning the sun in red at upper right and the earth in green at lower left. The characters are chosen each year from entries within and outside the city. It takes about 150 bamboo poles and 384 sheets of washi, and the city’s kite preservation society spends about four months making it. Since the Showa 40s (1965 to 1974) it has flown over the Sagami River bank.

  • 13 m square
  • About 150 bamboo poles
  • 384 sheets of washi

02 ／ Temple bell

A temple bell with onlyone striking seat.

The bell at Shokoji temple dates from the third year of Karoku (1227) and is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property (designated 1967). Because it has one striking seat, it has been known since the Edo period as a “strange bell.” Minamoto no Ason Nobutsuna in the inscription is said to be Sasaki Nobutsuna, who is said to have lived in Sagami Province for about 20 years.

  • Karoku 3 (1227)
  • National Important Cultural Property
  • One striking seat

03 ／ Silkworm farming

The mulberry the city designatedas a natural monument is a second-generation tree.

In the Meiji era, silkworm farming was the most important industry of Zama Village. From the Meiji 40s (1907 to 1912) some families made their own silkworm eggs, and at its peak nearly 10 households were engaged. The mulberry “Futsu Jumonji-shu” became a city natural monument in 1969; the original tree died, and today’s is a second-generation tree divided from it.

  • City-designated in 1969
  • Nearly 10 silkworm households
  • On private land

Zama City from the sky

Now and 1974–78. Tap a photo to zoom in.

Wide (about 6 km across)

Close (about 1.5 km across)

Now (shot June–August 2019)Shot 1974–78

Source: Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) GSI Tiles（全国最新写真（シームレス）／国土画像情報（第一期：1974〜1978年撮影））

Open in GSI Maps (now)Open in GSI Maps (1974–78)

Living here

Shinjuku in as little as 50 minutes on the Odakyu.

  • about 130,000 people
  • 60 min to a city centre

From Sobudai-mae Station on the Odakyu Odawara Line, an early-morning train reaches Shinjuku in 50 minutes with no change. Daytime local trains take 72 to 74 minutes (timetable as of October 2026).

People living here
132,325people
19952020

+2.8% since 2015

118,159 → 132,325

Area
17.57km²

16.67km² of it habitable

2024

Households
60,257households

2.2 people per household

2020

Rent (average for rentals)
56,394yen

National average 60,630 yen

2023

Healthcare
4 hospitals ／ 64 clinics

5.1 per 10,000 people

2023

Area17.57km²Habitable land16.67km² ／ 95%
Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103
Children waiting for childcare
—20 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy
—
Average annual temperature
—

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

ACCESS

Where you can go from here.

Zama City in Japan35.489°N 139.408°E
OsakaZama City
Sobudai-mae Station
相武台前駅2015
  • to ShinjukuOdakyu Odawara Line50min

Travel times follow 小田急電鉄の相武台前駅・座間駅の時刻表（上り・新宿方面）と、各列車の停車駅ごとの時刻（小田急が公開する Navitime の時刻表ページ 2026-10-21 現在。2026年3月14日改正のダイヤ） (checked 2026-10-21). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 4 municipalities.

Territory of Zama City
Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (Administrative Area Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari.Lakes: National Land Numerical Information (Lake Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari. Prepared with the approval of the Director-General of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, using its Digital Map 25000 (Spatial Data Framework) and Digital Map 25000 (Place Names and Public Facilities). (承認番号 平27情使、第585号)

Zama City isthis kind of town.

  1. 01The city likens the layer that blocks groundwater flow to an “underground dam” and presents 13 springs, including Suzuka no Izumi
  2. 02The 13 m square character kite carries characters for the sun at upper right and the earth at lower left
  3. 03A bell of Karoku 3 (1227) with one striking seat is a National Important Cultural Property

See the town as it is now.

Source: Wikidata (P2002, P2003, P2013, P2397)

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Zama City official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

From this town's themes

Similar towns

Next town Kanagawa Prefecture Kamakura City →A pond about 200 m long faced the hall.